


So Damn Happy

by hunters_retreat



Series: Further Interruptions [33]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Press and Tabloids, Roy gets good news, Roy hates the press, Roy hates the rumors, Separation, The rumors are not true
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 07:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17555978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunters_retreat/pseuds/hunters_retreat
Summary: “Thankfully, they seem to be passing everything off as me not getting to be gross with you.”“I do miss being gross with you,” Roy said with a laugh.





	So Damn Happy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kzell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kzell/gifts).



> Sorry for the wait. After my writing spree in December I needed to take a little break :P Also, beta'd by the amazing Kzell. This is also a gift for her.

 

“Yes, in fact we are still working out the specifics of the track and placement of outposts along the way, however we are down to details on the layout of the railway.  Once the plans are finalized we will have a second rail from Xing that will split off and be able to direct goods and people to the west, easier and faster.”

A journalist raised his hand and Führer Roy Mustang pointed to him.  “There are rumors that the Fullmetal Alchemist is in Xing to see to those negotiations.  Any comment?”

Roy had his hands resting on the wooden podium that had been brought out for his speech today and he was grateful that no one could see the way his fingers clenched.  He had planned this part of his address to the people at the end because this was exactly what he’d expected.  Someone would ask.  Someone would bring it up.  Someone would try his already thin patience about his husband’s disappearance and the rumors behind them.

“Edward Mustang-Elric is in Xing on personal research and is not there as a diplomat at the moment, though he has been a diplomatic resource for us in the past.”

“And the rumors that your husband has been in Xing for three months because you are seeking divorce?”

Roy had already schooled his featured but he had to keep from grinding his teeth.  “As I said, he is there on personal research.  Ed and I are happily married.”

“So you’re saying there is no trouble brewing on the domestic front for Amestris’ favorite Führer?”

“I believe I just did.  Thank you all for coming.”

He strode away from the podium to a cacophony of noise; his name and questions being thrown out as if he would turn around and answer just one more once he said his good-bye.  The Relations team was already taking over and Mustang’s personal team walked with him, both guard and emotional support after having to speak with the press. 

He heard more than one reporter asking for more details about Ed, if the new railroad extension was just a way to get troops to the border faster so he could use military might to steal his husband back.  If Ed was a captive of the Xingese Emperor, or if he was willing to leave the Führer for the Emperor.

He was near to fuming by the time he got to his destination.  He strode past the outer office and straight into his inner sanctuary and closed the door.  Forcefully.

He hated it.  He hated every moment of it.  He wanted his husband back so damn bad and every day hurt a little more.  He took a seat and pressed the palm of his hands to his eyes to get rid of the headache that was starting to bloom, oh so spectacularly, behind his eyes. 

The door opened a few minutes later and he didn’t bother to look up.  “I can’t, Riza.”

“I know, Sir.  That’s why a car is waiting.  I’ll send some files home with you in case you’re feeling up to it later,” she said gently.  “And Lieutenant Ross informed me that she’d been by this afternoon and left dinner for you.  Ed asked her to make something special for you tonight, she said.”

Roy let out a huff of a laugh.  “Did he know I was addressing the press today?”

“Of course,” Hawkeye answered.  “You also received two packages from Xing.  One for Ed and one from Alphonse.”

“What?” His head snapped up and Roy looked at the boxes in her hands.  One was larger and he could tell from across the room that the messy scribble on it was his husband’s handwriting.  The other was much smaller and Roy had to cross the room to see the neatly printed lettering of his brother-in-law’s hand. 

He reached out to take them and realized his hands were shaking.

“Sir, are you okay?”

Roy just nodded.  “Yes.  I’m heading home now.  I’m fine.”

“Sir?  Roy?”

“I need to get home to open these.  I’m fine, Riza.”

He didn’t wait for her to believe him because he wasn’t actually fine and they both knew it.  She didn’t know why that little box was affecting him though and he wasn’t about to jinx it.  Havoc was ready with his car and a small stack of files but Roy doubted he’d even look at them. 

The car was silent right up until they pulled onto his street.

“Sir, don’t let the press get to you.  We all know Ed is crazy about you, almost as much as you are about him.  Let them talk and say their awful things.  We’ll get the last laugh when they have to turn tail and talk about what a perfect family you have once Ed comes home.”

Roy smiled because they didn’t talk about his personal life often, but when he had a hard day at the office, a few words from Havoc in the car usually helped him settle far better than anything else.  He had such faith in his marriage to Ed.  Maybe because he’d seen them come so far, or maybe because he was a hopeless romantic himself.  He always meant it though.  There was not an ounce of subterfuge of doubt in his mind, when it came to Ed and Roy.

“Thank you, Jean.  We most certainly will.  Have a good evening.”

“You too, Boss.”

The car pulled away and a servant opened the door for him.  They looked the part to anyone on the outside, but every person had been handpicked to be a bodyguards for the Führer.  The people responsible for their hiring had been Hawkeye, Havoc, and Fullmetal.  There was no doubt about their ability to blend in, to be seen as they were meant to be seen, and to protect him at all costs. 

They stayed outside the home, with the exception of a guard who patrolled inside when no one was home.  It was too much, in his opinion, but he had given in to that demand since it meant he’d been able to forego the Führer’s mansion.  They still held formal events there, but this was his home and he preferred it to the more ostentatious setting of the mansion. 

Plus, he was afraid Maes would blow it up one of these days. 

He walked into the house with a nod to the head of his security detail. 

“Mr. Führer, Sir.  Maria Ross came by with food earlier.”

“Thank you, Adams.”

“Do we need to check the boxes for you, Sir?” he asked, indicating the boxes in his arms.

“No, Hawkeye vetted them already.  They’re from Ed and Alphonse.”

“Have a good evening then, Sir.”

“Thank you.  Let’s hope for a peaceful one,” he said. 

He stopped in the front and slipped his jacket off, then went straight into his office and set the files down.  He put the boxes on top and reached for one of Maes’ throwing knives to open the box from Ed.

He smiled as he began to pull things from it.  There was nothing monumental in the box.  It was just Ed.  Being Ed.

He wasn’t the type for grand sweeping gestures or romantic interludes, but Ed was always affectionate and he wasn’t afraid to love with his whole being.  Since they had started dating, Roy had been surprised by the amount of small gifts Ed had presented him with.  He realized quickly that there was no hidden meaning behind them, no thought of reciprocation.  They were just things Ed picked up when he thought of him.  It meant all the more for that reason.

There was a bag of loose-leaf tea with a note to drink it at night to help him sleep.  A book of Xingese pastoral poetry.  A book of Xingese romantic poetry as well.  There was a small glass vase that had been blown in reds and oranges and yellows.  It looks like fire and was rimmed in gold.  With it were paper flowers that had been made by some strange art form the Xingese possessed. 

He knew without question that the flowers had been made by Ed himself.  He couldn’t help but spend a few moments stroking each flower with the tip of his finger.  He couldn’t imagine how much time it had taken his husband to learn to make the delicate petals and the stems.  How much trial and error that he’d gone through working with his mismatched hands to get it perfected. 

He set all five flowers in the vase and smiled at the way they looked sitting next to the picture they’d taken together before the trip. 

Under that was a black and blue silk robe with a handwritten note that simply said, _For my eyes only._

He laughed at that, but couldn’t help but run his hands over the soft silk and take a moment to imagine what would happen when he wore it for Ed.  He’d better have bought one of his own because Roy would be rather upset if he didn’t get to slowly slide the silk from Ed’s strong shoulders.

The last thing in the box, at the very bottom, were a large stack of drawings and photos.  The drawings were hand drawn by his children and he spent a lot of time looking at each one, so proud of the two creatures who had blessed his life so completely.  There were also pictures for each member of the team for Roy to hand around.  There was a reason the Mustang-Elric twins were so well loved in his office.  They loved as carelessly and as thoroughly as their father did.  Someday, he was certain, it would cause heartbreak, but for now he was overwhelmed by how thoughtful they were.  The team missed both Ed and the children just as he did.

 There were photos of Ed and the kids in the market and at court.  Pictures of Alphonse and Ed surrounded by stacks of books and scrolls.  Ed and Ling arguing.  Ling and Maes arguing while Tishy and Ed were laughing in the background. 

He closed his eyes against the wave of loneliness that struck him.  He wanted his family back with him so much, but he knew it was only for a time.  They would be home.  Six more months if everything had gone well. 

He let out a deep breath and then cleared the box from the table top and reached for the smaller one.  He had an idea of what would be in there, but he was almost afraid to look, to prove himself wrong.

If he was right, it would explain a few things.

He took a deep breath and opened the top of the box.  He reached in and was surprised to find white fabric.  He had been expecting red.  He pushed back the disappointment he felt and pulled the white fabric out and set it on the desk. 

Only to realize it was a very small pair of gloves.  Stitched into the fabric in red thread was a transmutation circle that Tishy and Maes had tried to make when they were three.  They had wanted a baby sister and they believed they had made a transmutation circle that would make that happen.  They were tiny gloves, almost …  baby sized.

A smile broke across his face as he grabbed the phone and quickly dialed.  He was transferred to the right channels then waited, rather impatiently, for someone to pick up on the other end.  He ran his fingers over the delicate stitching over and over again.

“Hello?”

“It worked?” Roy asked. The voice belonged to Alphonse and he should probably say hello or inquire to everyone’s health first, but he couldn’t.

“You got my package?”

“It worked.”

“Congratulations, Roy.  In six months, you’re going to be a new dad.”

There was a scuffle on the phone and then he could tell from the teasing that his husband was trying to get the receiver.

“Roy?” the fight had ended and his husband was on the other end of the line.

“Ed.”

“So …”

“How is she?  Is everything alright?  I mean, I know that Alphonse would have said something but …”

“Roy, everything is good.  We’re … we’re going to have a baby.”

Roy closed his eyes and held the little white gloves to his heart.  “I can’t believe it.  I never thought … Gold …”

“I know.  I love you, Bastard.  We’re going to have a new baby.  Your baby.”

“Have the twins figured it out yet?”

“No.  I’ve got a tutor teaching them the Xingese language and culture.  They’ve been going on a lot of day trips.  I’m trying to keep them too busy to notice that I’ve been … excited.”

“How long until you think you have to confess?” Roy teased.

“Thankfully, they seem to be passing everything off as me not getting to be gross with you.”

“I do miss being gross with you,” Roy said with a laugh.

Ed laughed on the other end of the phone.  “Yeah.  Miss you too, Bastard.”

“I have to admit that I was disappointed when I opened the package and it wasn’t red.”

“What did Alphonse send you?  He wouldn’t show me.”

“A pair of white gloves, with Maes and Tishy’s baby making array on it.”

“Where did he even get that?” Ed asked.

“I have no idea.  We do still have it somewhere, but he must have planned that before he left for Xing.  I also got your package today.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.  I love the gifts you sent me.” 

“Nothing big.  I just picked up things that made me think of you.”

“I couldn’t do that.  I’d never be able to send the package.  It would be too big,” Roy said.

“Sap,” Ed said, but there was a softness, a fondness to his voice that made Roy want to hold him.

“Absolutely, but I’m your sap.”  And Roy might be a sap, but Ed encouraged him far too much.

“Damn straight,” Ed said.  “So, when are you coming back for us?”

“When Alphonse gives us a more concrete delivery date then I’ll make arrangements to be there.”

“Can’t wait for the baby, and I can’t wait for you to get back here.  Better brush up on your Xingese.  I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing it for a while once we get back.”

“Just so long as I get you back, I don’t care.”

“Always coming home to you, Bastard.”

Roy smiled and couldn’t help but run his finger over the edge of his wedding ring.  “Always yours, Gold.”

“Have you eaten anything today?” Ed asked before Roy could get any more sentimental.

“I just got home to open the packages.  I haven’t had the chance to eat yet.”

“You better be taking care of yourself.  If I hear you aren’t-”

“Maria was here earlier and dropped off food, apparently.  Which I’m sure you know, since I was told you called her and asked her to prepare something for me tonight.”

“I knew you had the press conference.  I worried you wouldn’t take care of yourself after.”

“You were listening?”

“The advantage of living in the Emperor’s palace.  I hate that you’ve got to deal with all that.”

“I know.  But it’s worth the comments and the accusations.  We’re going to have a baby, Gold.  Nothing can take away from that.”

There was a large knock on the other end of the line and Roy waited while he heard Ed muffle the receiver.  “They just came to tell me Ling wants me to join him for dinner so I need to go.”

“Alright.  Kiss my children for me,” Roy said.

“Every night,” Ed answered.

“And know I love you so much, Gold.  I’m a mess without you.  We’ll be together soon.”

“Love you, Bastard.  I’ll call tomorrow night with the kids.”

The phone hung up and Roy let out a deep breath.  He normally felt a bit of melancholy when he had to end his call with his husband, but tonight he pulled the gloves closer to his heart.  He was having a child. 

He’d given up on the idea of children when he was a young soldier and set himself on the path to become the Führer.  Ed had changed that and given him two amazing children.  He’d never thought he would have the chance to have a third, one that would look like him. 

He took another look at the baby-sized gloves with the red threads on the back and he carried them with him to the kitchen.  As much as he might usually sit at home and have a lonely meal, tonight he felt his solitude differently.  He would eat quickly instead of moping.  And he would take advantage of what he had.

A chance to catch up on his sleep before the baby came. 

A chance to finish projects that would be time consuming and impossible once Ed and the kids came home.

A chance to work on the new nursery and have it ready when the baby came home.

Roy found Ed’s favorite stew in the fridge and heated it quickly, then took it up to the room they had decided to turn into the baby’s.  It was one of two guest rooms that had rarely been used.  It was between the Master bedroom and the children’s rooms. 

There were illustrations and illustrations on the desk and Roy smiled as he sat and ate while he looked at the plans they’d made for the room.

Tonight, he’d get started on his baby’s room.  Tomorrow, he’d tell the team and try to hide from the world just why he was so damn happy.

 

 


End file.
